The aftermath of Storm Emma has had a significant impact on the water network in Southern Ireland - Irish Water and the six Greater Dublin Region Local Authorities had to act to protect homes and businesses in Dublin and avoid widespread outages.
The extreme cold has damaged water treatment plants and has led to significant bursts in pipes. Irish Water said the condition of the pipes, particularly in Dublin where the average age is 80 years, had contributed to the widespread outages and water restrictions experienced by customers all over the country.
Despite having plants working at maximum output, storage of water in the reservoirs was significantly depleted. Demand is continuing to rise, with demand for drinking water outstripping supply at one point. Low reservoir levels mean there is not enough water to meet current levels of demand.
On Monday 5 March across the Dublin region, the demand for drinking water outstripped the supply by 28 mega litres which is the equivalent of the daily usage of the population of Cork City. Some people were left without water entirely.
Irish Water and the six Greater Dublin Region Local Authorities had to act to protect homes and businesses in Dublin to avoid widespread outages in the capital. The water company commented:
“The decision to reduce pressure across the Dublin network for a 12 hour period on Monday evening was one that was not taken lightly but we needed to ensure the city continued to function.”
Working with the four Dublin Local Authorities, Irish Water assessed the impact of the 12 hour reduction in pressure on reservoirs. While some improvement has been realised, there is still “a way to go” which is essential to allow the reservoirs to refill as repairs to bursts and leaks are underway.
The water company said it was currently leveraging the best expertise across Irish Water and the four Dublin Councils to move water around the network and protect supply while protecting hospitals on the network. Irish Water and the Local Authorities across the Greater Dublin Region are undertaking a programme of water pressure management in Dublin, parts of Wicklow, Kildare and Meath. from 8pm to 6am when supply will begin to return to normal levels. Taking feedback from customers it is hoped that this will allow the network to fill fully again earlier in the morning to allow for morning showers.
This is essential to allow our reservoirs to refill as repairs to bursts and leaks are underway.
Homes will have storage in their attic tanks and businesses should also have storage on site. We expect that on high ground and on the extremities of the network, people will be more likely to experience some outages.
At present there are almost 30 local authority crews out across the Greater Dublin Area prioritising the most significant bursts and leaks first.
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